Belma Rouge
Stoup Brewing Brewery & Taproom

my favorite beer we had during our awesome visit to this brewery! its a super drinkable ipa with some really cool hops in it, belma and barbe rouge, which give it a crazy unique berry complexion, light straight up strawberry jam in the nose, with a neat botanical layer, a little sweet orange to it, and perhaps even some fresh green grape as well, exactly what i want to drink on a sweltering evening, i love it, and so did the guys i was hanging with here! this is pretty close to clear with a nice high white head on it and a bursting hop aroma, so distinct and different to me, i have loved what little i have had from barbe rouge hops, and this seems like a great expression of it, incredibly fresh and forward, but in a relatively delicate beer. a big starchy hazy base might obscure some of that, and no need to make it bitter, which they dont, its best in this sort of herbal fruity dry hopped context. definite strawberry in aroma and flavor, raspberry too, even sweet cherry, with subtle lemon grass, verbena, and tea as well, light green melon maybe from the belma in the mix, and this drinks like a healthy fruit salad from the continental breakfast at a decent hotel. love the berries to the hops, really exciting on the palate, kind of a short flavor window, flashes in and out, but when its there its brilliant. a simple beer at its core, but probably the right vehicle to feature these hops and stay out of the way. not much maltiness at all, a clean fermentation profile, an a real dry finish. lively carbonation adds to the springy essence of the hops, and this was a beer of real distinction. i have now liked all the hoppy stuff i have had from stoup, but this is a standout!